A controversial wind farm proposal for the Outer Hebrides should be further scaled down until it contains one-fifth of the turbines originally proposed, planning officials have recommended.
A report to be put to councillors next week urges the proposed £200m development on the Pairc Estate on Lewis should contain 26 turbines. In June, Scottish and Southern Energy announced it was scaling down the number of turbines from 125 to 57 but that they would be bigger than those originally planned.
Planning officials in Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) are recommending that councillors approve a development but not the one proposed.
A report going before next week's meeting says: "It is concluded that the development as currently presented and the likely impacts across a range of interests, is, on balance, unacceptable.
"However, it is considered that mitigation should be sought to enable a reduced scale of development to go ahead on the site."
In total, 31 turbines are being recommended for deletion, leaving a remainder of 26 turbines, which would produce 93.6 megawatts of electricity.
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